Principal Technical Program Manager

Upstart

12h•Remote

About The Position

At Upstart, we are driven by a mission to significantly reduce the cost and complexity of borrowing for all Americans. We leverage creativity, experimentation, and advanced AI to transform access to credit, helping millions achieve financial progress. As a leading AI lending marketplace, Upstart collaborates with banks and credit unions to broaden access to affordable credit through intelligent and human-centric technology. Our platform utilizes over one million predictions per borrower and more than 1,800 signals to facilitate smarter, fairer decisions for customers. Upstart operates as a digital-first company, offering most employees the flexibility to work remotely from anywhere they thrive across 80+ cities in the US and Canada. While primarily remote, the company emphasizes intentional in-person connections through team onsites, planning sessions, and collaborative meetings. Employees can choose to work from home or from offices in Columbus, Austin, the Bay Area, or New York City (opening Summer 2026). The Technical Program Manager (TPM) team at Upstart is crucial for executing the company's most critical engineering initiatives, operating at the intersection of product and engineering to deliver complex business outcomes across multiple teams and systems. Key focus areas for TPMs include enhancing engineering velocity through platformization and reducing system complexity, strengthening organizational operational excellence, and boosting Upstart’s ML advantage by streamlining data evaluation and productization. As a Principal TPM, you will act as a force-multiplier in ambiguous problem spaces, providing structure, clarity, and momentum to initiatives that might otherwise falter. Successful TPMs exhibit strong ownership over outcomes and possess both technical and product judgment. Beyond program delivery, you will influence how the organization plans, prioritizes, and executes work at scale.

Requirements

BA/BS in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience
8+ years of technical program management, product management or related experience in a software engineering environment
Experience leading large-scale, cross-functional programs spanning multiple engineering teams and systems
Experience leading complex technical initiatives from concept through launch, including defining scope, success metrics, and execution strategy
Experience working on distributed systems, service-oriented architectures, and system design at scale

Nice To Haves

Strong judgment and prioritization skills; able to navigate trade-offs with confidence and clarity across both technical and business domains.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to explain complex technical topics to diverse audiences
Track record of driving adoption of new processes, tools, or engineering standards across entire organizations
Proven ability to influence senior and executive stakeholders on ambiguous, high-impact initiatives
Experience increasing engineering velocity by driving improvements in tooling, automation, or AI-based solutions

Responsibilities

Own system-level outcomes, ensuring initiatives deliver measurable business value instead of just ticking off feature completion checkboxes
Bring clarity to ambiguity by aligning goals, defining milestones, translating high-level designs into actionable implementation details, and ensuring cross-team dependencies are clearly understood
Proactively identify and mitigate critical risks early to de-risk delivery before failure happens
Drive critical decisions by surfacing tradeoffs, clarifying priorities, and aligning stakeholders on a path forward
Create and maintain a single, trusted view of program health to provide stakeholders at all levels with insights into progress, risks, and changes
Partner with engineering and product leaders to balance feature delivery with long-term system scalability, reliability, and maintainability

Benefits

Competitive compensation, including base pay, bonus opportunities, and annual equity grants that vest quarterly
Generous 401(k) plan with Upstart matching $2 for every $1 contributed, up to $15,000 per year
Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) with discounted stock purchase options for eligible employees
Affordable medical, dental, and vision coverage, with multiple plan options - Upstart covers 90% to 100% of the cost depending on the plans you choose
Health Savings Account contributions from Upstart for eligible plans
Income protection benefits, including company-paid Basic Life, AD&D, and Short- and Long-Term Disability coverage, with options to purchase supplemental coverage
Paid time off, sick and safe time, and company holidays
Paid family and parental leave to support caregiving and major life moments
Family-centered benefits through Carrot and Cleo, supporting fertility, parenthood, and caregiving
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offering mental health support and life-centered resources
Financial wellness resources, including access to financial planning tools and a financial concierge service
Annual wellness allowance to support your physical and emotional well-being and personal development, based on what matters most to you
Annual productivity allowance to invest in relevant tools and resources you need to do your best work, no matter where you work from
Connection and community through team events and onsites, all-company updates, and employee resource groups (ERGs)
Onsite perks, including catered lunches and fully stocked micro-kitchens when working from one of our four offices, located in the Bay Area, Austin, Columbus, and New York City (opening Summer 2026!).